Rockman Zero : The Meaning of Love
by Saito-Rockman
Summary: [Zero] When Zero reunites a couple, he experinces memories from his past. (Zero x IrisZero x Ciel) One shot.


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Rockman Zero - The Meaning of Love

The crimson Reploid speedily dashed along the sandy desert, carrying a big lump of skin and bones on his backside. The crimson one, named Zero, was not currently on assignment for the Neo Arcadian Resistance, but rather just out wandering for reasons of his own. What was on his back however, was a human male who had been separated from his wife. 

This man was of about five foot three in height, a tan complexion, and an average weight. He was wearing a red tee-shirt and a pair of black jeans. Zero had found him wandering around in a cloak that looked awfully similar to the one he had with him before he fought the X Drones the last time he was here. Zero agreed to help him find his beloved wife. That's when the crimson Reploid came across his first obstacle. It was those falling cliffs that at one time or another, separated or together. Like the rarefaction and compression areas of a compressional wave.

Zero dash jumped along these fast, but not so fast as to make his human companion nauseous. More than once through that part of their journey, there were gaps a bit too wide for the human's liking, shivering like there would be no tomorrow for him. Each time Zero of course, had to clam him, almost as if he was a child, as much as he disliked it.

When they finally got past that, Zero was able to see a small tent in the distance. 

"Is this where you live?" Zero asked.

"Yes," the human male replied, stuttering slightly at the letter 'y'.

A few seconds later, a human female, whom Zero supposed was this man's wife, came out of the tent after hearing Zero and the man speak. This woman had brown hair, and was wearing a yellow dress, with patches of white at the bottom and at the end of the sleeves. There was also a red gem near the top of the dress. Zero's assumption had been correct, for when this lady saw the man whom Zero had brought along, her eyes became teary. She started running up to him in the usual fashion when two people who care for each other are reunited at last. The instant after she began running, the man did the same.

"David!" the woman shouted out.

"Jessica!" David cried back at her.

Soon the two were hand in hand, hugging each other, and Jessica crying. "I missed you so much," she said.

"Me too," David said back.

"I love you, David," Jessica told her husband.

"I love you too, honey," said David.

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Flash!

__

Zero was standing in front of a female Reploid. The bottom part where a human's feet would go was painted a nice purple color. Just above that was a small, blue ring like thing leading up to her red legs. The Reploid was wearing a dress with three different colors on it. It was divided into sections with thick dark blue lines. At the bottom of each section was a portion of a yellowish peach color. The rest was the same color red as her legs. The upper portion of her body was more complex, but used the same basic three colors as her legs and feet - red, blue, and purple. She had long brown hair, and on top was one of those things that French people sometimes put on their hair.

Is this…one of my memories!? Zero thought. It appeared to be so, because every thing around the two was white. After all, Zero could have forgotten the surrounding area in which a memory of his took place, but he would never forget the face of a friend.

"Iris!" Zero called. "What are you doing here? Are you Okay!?"

"Zero…did you come to save me?" said the female Reploid, whom Zero supposed was the 'Iris' he had previously referred to.

"Yes. Hang on!" Zero realized he had no control over this voice, which he knew belonged to him. This must be a memory of mine, he thought.

__

"A huge Maverick appeared and…"Iris said, probably worried.

"Stay here Iris. I'll handle it!" Zero told this Reploid…or rather Iris.

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Flash!

"Are you alright?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Zero answered. But there was a question on his mind. And he was so intent on answering it that he didn't bother to pay attention very well. This question was: _Just why did I remember this? Why did it happen at that particular moment?_ Zero decided he could try and figure it out if he wandered around some more. Maybe he could even find a new Cyber Elf for Ciel after the two Baby Elves had been taken by Elipzo. 

Zero left the couple in search of a new goal. He dashed along the sandy desert, until he came along one of the cybernetic elves. It was hovering over a pit between to small pieces of land, much like the ones he had jumped with the human David on his back. Zero quickly dash jumped, attempting to catch it, and stretched his hand out as far as it would go. Soon, his hand covered half of it and using that as a cue, Zero closed his hand in on it, making a fist, and gently landed on the other side.

His mission accomplished, Zero warped back to the Resistance Base. When he got there he found the room empty except for Cerveau, who had just walked in. 

"Cerveau, where is Ciel?" Zero asked.

"I believe she's in her room. Why?" Cerveau answered.

"I have something to give her," Zero said.

After being told where she was, Zero headed straight for Ciel's room. He stood in front of one of the first doors he had laid eyes on when he first came to the new Resistance Base, waiting for it to open. When it did, he slowly walked through it, into Ciel and Cerveau's quarters. Cyber Elf in hand, he knocked on the door farthest away from where he had come in, Ciel's room.

"Coming," Ciel said from the other side of the door. She opened the door, and was surprised to see Zero. "Oh, Zero, when'd you get back?"

"Just now," Zero answered. "Oh, here, take this," he added, opening his hand to reveal a Cyber Elf.

"Oh, Zero _Arigato Gozaimasu!_ " Ciel started walking towards the tank where she had previously kept the Baby Elves. "I'll just put them in…"

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Flash!

Not again! Not now! Zero thought, knowing exactly what was happening.

Zero's surroundings were once again white once again, with the Reploid named Iris facing him.

"Iris!" Zero yelled, once again involuntarily. 

"So you fought with my brother…" Iris said.

"I'm sorry…" Zero tried to apologize.

"Then it's over. Everything…" she said.

"Wait Iris! Listen to me!" Zero tried to reason with her.

"Goodbye Zero…"

"Iris!"

The Reploid Iris formed a ball of purple energy in her hands, and released it hands high over her head. She started transforming into a bat like Ride Armor with a large buster. She started to shoot at Zero with amateur aim, but with accuracy steadily rising. 

  
Zero dash jumped off the walls, trying to evade her attack. Every so often he made an attempt to strike back with a plasma burst from his buster, a weapon he hadn't used in a long time. Zero continued to dash jump off the walls, trying to get behind the foe that was friend. He took out his Z-Saber, and launched himself off the wall, preparing to strike. 

"Ahhhhhhh!" Zero shouted as he speed toward Iris.

Flash!

"…are you OK? Zero?" Ciel asked worriedly.

"Yes, Ciel. I'm fine. I was just thinking." Zero said, trying not to worry her.

"Alright. Thanks again for the Cyber Elf. I really appreciated it." Ciel said, happy Zero was okay.

"I'm going to go get some rest." Zero told her, heading for his chambers.

***

**Three hours later…**

***

Zero awoke feeling his strength renewed. But he was instantly reminded of the strange memories he'd been reliving with the female Reploid Iris. What purpose could they have at the present time? It puzzle him, but he promised himself that he would find the answer. He remembered that the first memory came up when he reunited David and Jessica, but what did that have to do with anything. _Maybe everything,_ Zero thought. His reminiscing first began when the two said they loved each other. And when he relived these moments of his past, he felt a strange feeling towards the Reploid Iris.

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No, it can't be, Zero thought. 

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Flash!

"Iris! Iris!" Zero shouted.

"Zero…" Iris said.

"Hang in there, Iris!"

"Please... stay away from Repliforce. Let's live together in a world where only Reploids exist…"

"Iris, there's no world just for Reploids... it's only a fantasy."

"Yes, I know... but I wanted to believe it... I wanted to live in a world where only Reploids exist. With you…"

"Iris... Iris! Iris!! Iris!!! Iris.. Iris... Iris... No, this isn't happening! There's no reason for me to go on! What... What am I fighting for!!!"

He felt at a loss to lose the one he… well, loved. He just couldn't bear to lose her.

Flash!

"I was right," Zero said aloud. "I did love her," tears began to form in his eyes. _Why did I have to relive that moment!! _he thought, enraged. But his tears stopped as he began to realize… he felt the same way with Ciel. She revived him, it was only natural to feel grateful to her. But love…? _But it explains why I thought of getting her the elf,_ Zero thought. He wiped his tears away. _But at least I know now._

Zero felt kind of silly for doing this but…

"Iris… wherever you are, I just want you to know, I'll always love you. I wish I could have lived with you, in a world just for Reploids,"

Zero left the room in order to find Ciel once again. It didn't take him long to find her. Ciel had decided to look out at the sunset in the unfinished area on the bottommost floor.

"Ciel," he said. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it Zero?" Ciel asked.

"I love you Ciel" he said in a calm voice.

"Really? Me too Zero, I love you. Everything you've done for us… and for me…" Ciel said.

Then they held hands, moved their heads toward each other, and kissed.

***

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Japanese-

Arigato Gozaimasu- Thank you very much


End file.
